Residents were unable to shower or fill a glass of water with Thames Water sending engineers to fix the issue
Thousands of homes in West London were left without water for several hours on Tuesday (July 14). From around 7:30pm homes in the W4 area of Chiswick were without running tap water. Eventually the disruption spread beyond Chiswick, reaching homes in Shepherd’s Bush, White City and Acton.
This meant tenants were not able to shower, wash their hands, or fill a glass of water for several hours. Thames Water issued a statement to customers explaining that there was a burst pipe in the area.
Almost 90 minutes later, a Thames Water specialist team located the large burst water pipe on Acton Lane. The incident led to varied disruption ranging from low pressure to no water in homes.
There was also flooding on the road on Acton Lane. The water company says it worked through the night to restore supply with some homes in W3 having running water as early as 11pm.
By 00:30, the broken pipe had been isolated and water was rerouted to the entire W3, W4 and W12 areas. Despite water access being restored, some properties continued to experience low water pressure.
In a statement issued at 12:43pm, Thames Water said: “Our teams remain on site on Acton Lane, where excavation works are continuing to prepare the damaged water main for repair. Once the excavation is complete, repair work will begin as quickly and safely as possible.
“We’ve kept water flowing to customers by rerouting supplies through the local network, and all customers should continue to have water. However, you may still notice lower water pressure during periods of high demand while repairs are underway.
“Acton Lane remains closed while we carry out this essential work. If you’re travelling in the area, please allow extra time for your journey and follow the signed diversion routes. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. We’ll provide our next update by 15:45.”
A Thames Water spokesperson added: “If you live in a block of flats, you may need to contact your managing agent to come out and reset your internal pumps if you’re still experiencing issues with your supply.
“Often when your water returns it may be discoloured at first (rusty, white or milky in colour), this is normal – for further guidance on what to do when you experience this and other issues following an incident…”
Teams have remained on site this morning continuing to repair the two damaged sections of the water main. Whilst undertaking the repairs water has been flowing to residents as the company moved water around the local network – however low pressure remains.
Whilst all homes have running water, full normal service has not been restored. When asked by the LDRS when that can be expected, Thames Water said: “Unfortunately we can’t put a time on the repair, but we will continue to keep the incident page updated.”
A further statement is expected later on Wednesday, July 15.
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